How did it get there?
Thursday, March 31, 2005
What would happen if the sun winked out of existence?
The earth, released from its orbit, would go flying out into the icy blackness of space. All the plants would die, and then all the animals that eat plants would die. And then all the animals that eat animals would die, except us humans because we could continue growing stuff in artificial environments.
The world would get colder and colder.
Without all the plants around, there'd be nothing to generate oxygen out of carbon dioxide. But without all the animals, we wouldn't need nearly as much, so we'd work out a way to do it before there were any real problems.
Many people would die. But in the end, the human race would definitely survive. All we get from the sun is light and heat, and we have alternate ways of making those things. That's a sobering thought, I think.